Free College Football Picks: Washington State at Colorado Odds and Predictions

Washington State sits eighth in the College Football Playoff rankings,
which means that they are theoretically still alive for a playoff bid. That
can't be their focus, though - they are so far from controlling their own
destiny that they can't worry about it. They would need a whole lot of help
- losses by Notre Dame, Clemson or Michigan are certainly needed, Oklahoma
would help, too, and Georgia needs to lose again. And then they have to
worry about Ohio State passing them if they beat Michigan, or West Virginia
doing so if they beat Oklahoma twice. In short, Washington State isn't a
playoff team - not out of their dog of a conference. But they are well
positioned to win the Pac-12 North, and that puts them in a good spot to
win the conference and head to the Rose Bowl. But to do that, they need to
keep winning.

When Gardner Minshew graduated from East Carolina last year, his plan was
to head to Alabama as a grad assistant to get a head start on his coaching
career. But then Mike Leach called, telling him that he would be the top
passer in the country if he came to Pullman. And Leach probably believed
it, too - he operates on his own wavelength. But here we are after nine
games, and Minshew is not only leading the country, but he has a massive
354-yard lead over second-place Cole McDonald of Hawaii, and Hawaii has
played one more game than Washington State. He has already passed for more
yards through nine games this year than he did in the two years he started
at ECU combined, and he has completed more than 70 percent of his passes.
The team is 8-1 for the first time since 2002, and he is the biggest reason
why. Now, Minshew certainly benefits from not exactly helming the most
balanced attack in the country - Washington State ranks frost nationally in
passing yards, and 129th out of 130 teams in rushing yards. But Colorado's
pass defense ranks just 77th nationally. So, if you are going to focus on
just one thing on offense, you could do worse than focusing on the pass
here.

This would be a much different game if it were a month ago. Back then
Colorado was 5-0 and looking strong. But they have lost four in a row since
and can't get out of their own way. Three of the four have been on the road
and as underdogs, but the fourth was very ugly. They were favored by 24.5
at home against Oregon State and lost by a touchdown. Be honest - did you
even know it was possible to lose at home to Oregon State? They have scored
34 points in each of the last two games, so they haven't been a total
disaster, but they are playing well below their best. Four losses in a row
is a clear trend, and now they are playing the best team in the conference.
Needless to say, it's not ideal.

Washington State at Colorado Odds and Betting Trends

The game opened with Colorado favored by 4.5 points, and that has bled up to six in
early action. A massive majority of bets have been on the Cougars, so it is
very possible that we will see the line climb higher. The total opened at
61 and has fallen only slightly to 60.5 in early action.

The Cougars have covered the spread in their last four road games and eight
of nine overall this year. They have covered five of their last six against
teams with winning records but just two of their last seven games played on
grass. Colorado is just 5-11-1 ATS in their last 17 conference games and
3-8-1 ATS in their last 12 against teams with winning records. Washington
State has won three of the five meetings between these teams as conference
foes, including a 28-0 win last year.

Washington State at Colorado Predictions and Picks

Colorado is playing without any confidence, and their defense is really
struggling, giving up 41.5 a game over the last two against Oregon State
and Arizona, two defenses not nearly as good as the one they face here.
Washington State, meanwhile, is playing surprisingly sound defense, has a
potent offense, and showed that they are capable of overcoming adversity
when they beat Cal in a strange one last week. They are clearly the better
team in this one, and the value is high in this one. Washington State is a
comfortable pick. In Washington State I trust.